Measles virus is one of the most highly contagious human pathogens known. In a 100% susceptible population, a single case of measles results in 12 to 18 secondary cases, on average.¹ Nevertheless, it is estimated that nearly 298,000 1-year old children in the United States are unvaccinated for MMR.

Further, as of March 7, 2025, the Centers for Disease Control reports that the desirable vaccination rate set for "herd immunity" (i.e. the percentage of school age children needed to be vaccinated in order to protect those whose parents choose not to vaccinate; those who are immunocompromised - e.g. cancer chemotherapy - and cannot be vaccinated; or those who are allergic to some component of the vaccine) at 95% has continue to fall:

At the same time, the new Secretary of Health and Human Services, the life-long anti-vaccine protagonist Mr. Kennedy reports that Texas doctors have made "very, very good results" treating a viral disease with a 50-year old steroid, budesonide; an antibiotic, clarithromycin; and cod liver liver oil. Oorah. Kennedy was quoted, without mentioning vaccinations once, that "We’re going to be honest with the American people for the first time in history about what actually — about all of the tests and all of the studies, about what we know, what we don’t know.” ¹

The authors conclude that vitamin A doses appear effective in reducing mortality from measles in children under two years old and have few associated adverse events. There is insufficient evidence to draw conclusions regarding effectiveness in preventing pneumonia or other complications in children. However, the quality of the evidence was generally moderate. Better quality randomized trials are needed to evaluate the efficacy of Vitamin A for treating measles in children. ²

It should be clearly noted that nowhere & no one recommends Vitamin A for the prevention of measles in infants or children, regardless of Kennedy's claim that, "We’re going to tell them [the public], and that’s going to anger some people who want an ideological approach to public health.”

Further, Cochrane's review of Kennedy's report of the use of antibiotics in the treatment of the viral disease of measles concluded,

The studies reviewed were of poor quality and used older antibiotics. This review suggests a beneficial effect of antibiotics in preventing complications such as pneumonia, purulent otitis media and tonsillitis in children with measles. On the basis of this review, it is not possible to recommend definitive guidelines on the type of antibiotic, duration or the day of initiation. There is a need for more evidence from high‐quality RCTs to answer these questions. ³

Likewise, the New England Journal of Medicine, among other things, citing Kabra & Lodha above, make the same recommendation: "Antibiotics, in the absence of pneumonia, sepsis, or other signs of a secondary bacterial complication, are generally not recommended."

We further feel it necessary to note that the doctors Sec. Kennedy mentioned as experiencing "very, very good results" from these, shall we say "non-traditional" treatments - or better, treatments that are not endorsed by the medical staff of the hospital in Lubbuck, TX who has treated the majority of these children (whom Kennedy described as admitted for "isolation purposes," and which a hospital spokeperson quickly corrected to say, "We do not admit anyone for the purpose of 'isolation'; they were admitted for respiratory difficulties." ⁵) are physicians associated with his Children's Health Defense.

The Director of Public Health in Lubbock has reported that the MMR vaccination rate in Gaines County has fallen to 82%, and 80% in Terry County which borders Gaines. Apparently Terry County has reported 22 new cases of measles as of this past Friday, and the county in New Mexico that borders Gaines County has reported 9 new cases and the first adult death of a man with measles, whose death continues to be investigated.

It would seem that, without some form of investigation, some form of reassurance from the congress that placed Mr. Kennedy in this position - particularly from the congessional members who themselves are physicians - these will be extremely long years for public health and our children.

¹ Strebel, PM, Orenstein, WA. Measles. N Engl J Med 2019;381:349-357 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMcp1905181 VOL. 381 NO. 4

² As Measles Spreads, Kennedy Embraces Remedies Like Cod Liver Oil. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/04/health/texas-measles-outbreak-kennedy.html?searchResultPosition=1

³ Yang, HM, Mao, M, Wan, C. Vitamin A for treating measles in children (Review). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2005, Issue 4. Art. No.: CD001479.DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD001479.pub3.

⁴ Kabra, SK, Lodha, R. Antibiotics for preventing complications in children with measles (Review). Kabra SK, Lodha R. Antibiotics for preventing complications in children with measles. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2013, Issue 8. Art. No.: CD001477. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD001477.pub4.

⁵ NY Times, op cit.